> hello, a warm welcome to the newshour. we are live in doha. the top stories on al jazeera. >> with no end in sight to the fighting syria's opposition decides whether to attend peace talks with the bashar al-assad regime >> the afghan taliban targets a restaurant in a secure area. 21 were killed. >> no one expect china to have a

debate about their programs >> president obama orders some n.s.a. reforms. >> making friends. we take a look at china's practice of panda dip loam assy -- diplomacy >> syria's main opposition group is deciding whether to attend peace talks in switzerland, which are due to take place in a few days. the syrian national coalition is meeting for a second day in turkey to decide if they'll attend the geneva ii talks. the former prime minister met his counterpart sergei lavrov in moscow, and said they were worried that the opposition hadn't committed to the talks. each of us is at the meeting in istanbul. >> the syrian coalition has to do today what it failed to yesterday. that's a raft of important things. it has to hold an official meeting. it didn't convene. it met unofficially, it didn't

formally start the meeting. that was because it doesn't believe or it didn't yesterday believe it had the numbers to hold a credible vote. a vote representative that stood up in the international arena, about whether to go to geneva or not. the group was split. part of that is a reconciliation process. there are a group of 44 members of the coalition, who withdrew because they had misgivings. they are not opposed to geneva ii, but wanted more consultation and guarantees from the international community ahead of a commitment to participate. there has been a big reconciliation dialogue going on within the coalition, trying to bring them back into the fold, so when taken it can be seen to be representative. >> what are the consequences if the syrian opposition were not to send a delegation to

switzerland? >> massive. there has been a diplomatic push in istanbul in parallel to this to try to persuade every member of the syrian coalition, those broadly in favour of participating in geneva, and those with the misgivings. the syria coalition has to be there on whatever terms, because this is the first meeting, the first platform where the beginning of a peace process could begin. it's not the end or the start of something tangible. it was the start of a process. if the syrian coalition is not represented, all its fees and opinions and the voices of the various groups in syria all that it says it represents will not be on the table and leaves the arena free for the regime in damascus to walk in and say, "we are the representatives of the syrian people and we define the terms on which peace is worked towards." the international committee is clear with the syrian coalition,

that if it doesn't come, they'll be losers, and the syrian people, broad-based syrian people, will be losers. >> lebanese army commanders say rockets fired from syria hit several towns. several were killed. rockets fell in the border regions as well. >> live to bernard smith, in bye route. what are we hearing? >> nine were killed when a rocket landed in asal. seven were children. it's a sunni muslim town, sympathetic to the revolt, the anti-assad revolution that's going on in syria. it's close to the fighting. we spoke to the deputy mayor, and he said that the rockets that fell seemed to have been as

a consequence of the fighting between different rebel groups across the border. there are thousands of syrian refugees living in sal, and it has been targeted by the syrian air force. as happens frequently in towns along the border, it's caught by rockets. >> rockets are falling at the border town. not just there. >> no, it's not. it's a consequence of the fighting there. all of the towns are not targeted by the rockets, they are just happening to be near where the fighting is going on. the attack that hit is the worst that has been there. >> what are the repper cautions inside lebanon of the spillover. >> well, again, because of what happened fighting broke out in tripoli. this is what happens in tripoli,

is a mirror of the sectarian differences in syria. there were proand anti-assad parts. this area, tripoli, the northern city, has been comparatively calm in the last month or so, since the lebanese army moved in to keep the peace. it's a tense peace that it's keeping. the fighting broke out because of what had happened in asal. and one man was killed in the fighting. tripoli is a bit calmer today. some academic institutions and shops had wanted to close today as a protest because of the sporadic sniper fire. at the moment comparatively calm. >> thank you very much for the update. that's al jazeera's bernard smith live in beirut. >> four u.n. workers and a representative from the international monetary fund are among 21 killed in a taliban attack in afghanistan.

the victims were dining in a restaurant in an area of kabul when a suicide bomber blew himself up. two gunmen then began to shoot people inside >> even by the standards of afghanistan's war, this was a brutal attack. diners gunned down in a restaurant. al jazeera obtained video showing the aftermath. many died trying to hide under their tables. the country's top security apparatus showed up quickly, from special forces to intelligen intelligence eights. it was too late. the attackers were inside. they targeted the restaurant 40 feet down the street. one was a suicide bomber, detonating his explosive, blowing off the door, allowing the other two to enter with automatic weapons, and killing and shooting diners in the

restaurant. this is the diplomatic area in the heart of kabul considered by many to be safe. the blast was heard across the city, drawing residents from their homes. >> translation: it was very powerful and shook the area. after that there was intense gun fire. we were very frightened. >> the restaurant was popular with high-ranking afghan officials and westerners. >> we have the u.n. here. a statement has been issued condemning it and called for violence involving the targetting of civilian locations so end immediately. this is considered by the u.n. to be a gross violation of humanitarian law. >> among the dead were foreigners and afghans. bodies were still taken away late into the night. this is meant to be the most secure area of the city, a diplomatic zone flanked by

police checkpoints. >> right after the explosion smoke and dust covered the restaurant. i ran away on the roof top, jumped in the house and ran away further. a bomber blew himself up at the gate and two others shooting inside the restaurant. >> the taliban claimed responsibility and promised more attacks to come. >> a stampede in india killed 18 people and injured dozens. it happened in mumbai has a crowd gath ared for the funeral of -- gathered for the funeral of a spiritual leader. it happened when the gates of the spiritual leader was closed and there was a surge of people moving forward. >> president obama announced a series of reforms to surveillance programs, promising to add more privacy safeguards. the methods of the national

security agency were exposed by edward snowden. >> the extent of the spying carried out by the united states was hugy controversial overseas. beside president obama's speech only a handful of protesters demanded changes. the president took to the stage, promising to change very little. when it comes to spying outside the u.s. allied leaders can be assured the u.s. will not listen to their phone call. their people, every text, call, email sent that will be stored. just for not as long. the u.s. president says it shouldn't bother most people in the world. >> the bottom line is that people around the world. regardless of their nationality should know that the united states is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security. >> for americans there are few

changes. if the federal bureau of investigation wants to contact my credit card company. they may have to tell me they have done that. when it comes to cell phone records, they have to store the data but they might have to keep it outside the government. if they search the records they'll ask a court, a court this didn't reject a request in 2012. for many outside of the white house, it is not enough. >> he didn't go far enough or embrace all the recommendations that his review group made. he took a narrow tack. >> before the criticism, the president sounded a defensive tone. >> no one expect china to have an open debate about the surveillance programs, or russia to take privacy concerns of citizens in other places into act. >> the debate is not over. congress has to approve the changes and may go further than the president. and the supreme court still has to decide if the domestic spy is

constitutional. as evident by the size and scale of the protest, so far they aren't facing public pressure to change the decision. >> eddy williams is a security experts joining us from brussels. what do you make of the announcement by president barack obama. do you think the changes go far enough? >> well, it's difficult to say. you see that there are changes and it's an improvement. there seems to be more control and there is now a court order needed if you want to go into detail. that's a good thing. however, there are a lot of concerns and the european union and commission seems to be having a lot of questions. how can you control something like that? and does it really go far enough. we don't know. we are not sure.

>> really, if the changes are implemented how do we know? is there oversight? who tells us that the changes are happening, if, indeed, they are happening? >> exactly. how can you control it yourself. how can you control the man in the street. that's always very difficult to do that if you are a man in the street or woman in the street. this is very difficult for us. it is an improvement. and it seems that obama is looking to the european union and the german privacy laws and all that kind of thing. i think it is a good way to start, but i suppose this is maybe the first step or something like that. >> the latest relation claims that u.s. agencies stored text messages. we talk a lot about phone messages. what about social media sites

like facebook and twitter. how vulnerable are we. do the exchanges touch on that as well? >> well actually we are very vulnerable. but it depends on what people put on the social media. the most important thing. it influences maybe a little bit what google and facebook does. or will do in the future. however, ith still the main thing is what people do yourself on social media. if you want to put something on -- >> how do i protect myself better on social media? >> well, it's like having major training. we should have something like major training for everybody. you don't always want to say everything. don't put everything into the

public. don't put everything on your social media. i think that may be good advice. >> thank you very much. thank you for your advice, and thanks for joining us. eddy williams, cyber security expert joining us live from brussels. >> still ahead - the united nations says it has evidence of atrocities committed in south sudan. >> plus, 12 days, four attacks - we look at the growing number of journalists under threat in the philippines. >> it's been six years since her last title. we have the latest on maria sharapova's australian open title. coming up in sport. >> police in thailand have been trying to keep street protests under control. they have invited the demonstrators into police headquarters. the bangkok compound is the scope of tense standoffs.

police opened the gates, activists gathered inside and lisped to speeches. >> the united nations says it has evidence of war crimes being committed by both sides of the conflict in south sudan. many schools in south sudan have been forced to close because of conflict. as we report from juba, it's not affected the students' hopes of making the grade. >> it's exam time for primary school students in south sudan. here at st. joseph's church schoolchildren are tested to see if they can advance to secondary level for the moment academic year. the facilities are basic, computers and calculators are nowhere to be seen and there's no drinking fountain for the kids - these are south sudan's more fortunate students. a short distance away this

26-year-old and his friends are sitting the same exam, not at the school, but the u.n. camp housing the thousands that fled the fighting. crammed into what was a function room for the united nations peace-keeping troops, students are testing after spending a month in dire conditions. >> living in flimsy tends, poor sanitation, hardly any toilets, little food and no electricity, the willingness to sit the exams is an achievement in its own right. >> many students should prepare to go to college or university. members are missing out on school and are now sitting a primary school exam. they are years behind but are adamant to let war and conflict delay them any more. >> we know that children are involved in conflict situation, and for unicef, this is not acceptable. we spend time with the

authorities lobbying and ensuring that this practice does not continue. >> what is more fascinating about the story is that his father, 48-year-old michael was taking the same exam alongside him. he has lived most of his life through armed conflict. that's why he was happy when south sudan gained independence, because he thought peace would prevail, allowing him to get an education. among a population that is 40% illiterate, there are many cases like michael - parents and grandparents - that didn't get a chance to go to school. something that the government is trying to change. >> after the long war ended, we are supposed to be given a learning opportunity not only for our children, but our citizens. very comprehensive education system which benefits children

and even other citizens. >> back the the u.n. camp the students found that they completed their final exams. some tell us they wish to be doctors, to treat those by war. others say they want to be teachers. others are educated from the start. >> lawyers in the united states are preparing to challenge the state of ohio's use of a certain chemical in the death chemical. it took 26 minutes for convicted rapist and murderer dennis maguire to die. family and lawyers say that amount is a torture. alan fisher reports. >> dennis maguire was executed. the makers of the cocktail refuse to allow it to be used in capital punishment cases. the 53-year-old was convicted of raping and murdering a pregnant woman. before the state carried out his

sentence the lawyers warned the new drug was untested. the lawyers say what followed was shocking. >> it is entire premature to consider the execution protocol to be anything other than a failed experiment. >> it was the longest execution since capital punishment in 1999. the family started legal action. >> after watching my dad's execution. i know what cruel and unusual punishment is, i witnessed it. no one should die the way my dad did, no matter the circumstances. witnesses described the final movement. >> i never seen anything last so long. the shattering gasping was pronounced. >> the stomach moved up and down. things that happened in ohio

mimicked things. all of this adds to the burden of the death penalty. problems with lethal injection don't make the death penalty go away, but add to the cost in terms of time, frustration, and uncertainty. >> there's a call for states to put a hold on executions if they are using uptried and untested drugs. if they don't, they are likely to face a round of federal lawsuits. ohio has five more lawsuits, and the next is weeks away. >> al jazeera continues to call for the immediate release of five of the its journalists detained in egypt. >> producers mohamed fadel fahmy, baher mohamed and correspondent peter greste have been held without charge for 21 days. they are accused of spreading lies. allegations which al jazeera says are fabricated. they are held in toura prison outside of cairo.

the other two journalists are from our sister channels, a reporter and a cameraman. they have been detained for five months. >> at least 20 journalists have been killed in the fip peens in the past -- philippines in the past three years. a campaign against journalists is making the country a dangerous country to work in. we have more. >> good morning. >> this is what life is like every day. he hosts a daily radio show in a troubled area of the southern philippines. >> good morning. [ speaking foreign language ] >> he says there have been seven attempts on his life. >> translation: once i received a letter with a bullet in the envelope. i was told if i don't stop my commentary, they'll put me in my place. it's hard to be a broadcaster. if you don't know how to carry a

weapon, you'll get into trouble. when the president took office in 2010, he vowed to solve the problem of unity and extratraditional killings. for three years, 22 journalists have been killed, and not a single conviction has been made sips. others have paid the ultimate price. 29 journalists died in the massacre in 2009. it is considered the single deadliest attack on journalists during peace times. according human rights watch journalists are killed because of a failing justice system and a lack of political desire to go after the killers. >> one word, impunity, no one is being punished or brought to

justice. people are confident about committing crimes, because they know they can get away with it. >> gary says he and his wife are forced to make sure they can protect themselves. arming themselves may be more dangerous, but he doesn't want his name added to the long list of those who did not survive. >> in the philippines, 20 people are dead and a dozen others are missing. two days of heavy rain forced 10,000 people from their homes. many affected had been trying to get their lives on track after typhoon hayian in november. for more, here is steph. >> for the last eight days we've seen the heavy rain over the philippines. over the past is it hours it has

intensified and become a tropical cyclone. here is the satellite picture showing the cloud as it has been with us over the past 12 hours, it's covering a huge area. the bright white areas of cloud here are in the south-east and that's where we are seeing the heavy rain. the tropical storm is not where the thickest of the cloud is, giving you an indication that the problem from this feature will not be with the winds, but with the amount of rain. the winds - they are not too strong. they are around 50km per hair. gusting a little higher than that. it's the amount of rain that is causing us problems. the rain - well, we have seen over 200mm of rain in two days, it's close to tacloban where we were slammed bit the storm. people there living in tents and plenty of rain is falling. heavy rain. we can expect 100 to 200mm of

rain from the system as we head into sunday and monday, mostly in the south-east. >> thank you very much. a giant panda club born in captivity is making its debut at a zoo. the chinese government has been using pandas to reach out to countries for years. >> this is baobao. this giant panda cub is precious. for her owner, the chinese government, it is a crucial tool of engagement. >> the soft-power heap is the love for pandas will translate to positive attitudes towards china. >> modern panda diplomacy started in the 1960s, as china gifted bears to the soviet union

and north korea. richard nixon was the first president to visit the people's republic in 1972. mout si tongue gave two pandas -- maotsetung gave two pandas to the united states. beijing must use money to develop panda cultivation and breeding programs. experts say the chinese are sending pandas to countries that are giving it resources and technology to grow the economy. coincidentally france, australia and canada reached key energy deals with china and are putting pandas on display in zoos. on the flipside a territorial spat in the south china sea held up plans for pandas.

taiwanese officials resisted because of a long-running dispute. >> there's suggestions that china uses panda diplomacy as a reward for good before and holds it to punish bad behaviour. i don't see this as malicious. this is the way countries act. >> because of what they say too much money is spent. scientists and zoo keepers say it is helping to teach a growing china the merits of conservation. >> getting the chinese to think of consultation. they are a big country. we need them as part of the team. the program has been great in fostering the relationship. >> with many factors at play. china's reliance on panda diplomacy is likely to continue.

>> how cute. still ahead on the newshour. italians voiced anger. plurks the french president focuses on business as more allegations surface about his private life. >> and i'm in the port city with a 2014 dakar rally, where it raws to a climb as.

>> welcome back. you are watching the newshour on al jazeera. the main stories - syria's main

opposition group is due to vote on whether to attend talks in switzerland. the syrian government will offer to swap prisoners and implement a ceasefire ban. taliban fighters target a restaurant in kabul killing 21. workers from the united nations and the ins are among the dead. >> president obama announces a series of reforms to u.s. spy programs, promising to add privacy safeguards. critics say the changes are not enough. >> back to our top story on syria, and the proposed peace talks in switzerland. joining us from beirut is political anna lift cam article wosni. do you believe the syrian opposition will sort out their differences in time? >> i think they'll do it. there'll be a lot of pressure.

from their friends in the region, especially that everyone wanted them to be at that table. they have to submit to their wishes, because at the end the crisis in syria needs people to sit at the table and have dialogue, otherwise the war will continue forever. >> if they go, they'll be in a weaker position, won't they? >> well, i think that the situation is going to be weak, because they are divided and are fighting among themselves. it's clear at this point that there is no clear vision about the next phase. but, the important thing is that you have to have people sitting at the table and start having dialogue and talking to each other instead of talking at each other, and i think that is a positive point at this time. but don't count -- >> sinics will say what's the point of having people sit down and talk when expectations are so different pt on the one hand

you have the opposition, whose objective is the removal of bashar al-assad. and on the other the government wanting to stay in power. they are framing this as a fight against terrorism. they are not likely to agree to a transition process. what's the point of sitting down and talking when they are so far apart when it comes to what they want to achieve. >> when you are fighting and you have a bloody war, everyone has to put a best face and accept a compromise. if you don't have compromise on both sides you will have the war continue forever. at this point there's a lot of pressure from the americans, from the russians and from the region, that this war should end. will it be over in this meeting? no, it's the beginning of a long process, and a difficult process. it will be a lot of blood spilled before we reach a reel

understanding. and this is not near. this is the beginning of a long road that compromise is the talk and not to raise a lot of high expectation. it's not going to work that way. >> let me ask you this. you wonder how jij mate it will be, when decisions in switzerland are likely to be contested and ignored. it would seem that the international community has nothing left but geneva ii to implement. if it doesn't work what will happen, the status quo >> no, you have the sponsor of the wars at the table. except probably for the uranium. probably not invited. everyone else at the table, you have to look at where the money and support is coming, where the influence is at, and how it will

be implemented over a period of time. there is real power, but i think there's a lot of pressures, and the time of the essence at this point. this is a genuine progress hat to start today. at this point everybody has to take it and be willing to work with it for a mainly resolution. it's not going to be happy. no one will be happy. the syrian regime has to surf and demand and the opposition wanted something else. in the end you have to walk the middle road and that's where it is. so in this part, not everyone will be hope, but in the end you cannot let the country be destroyed more than what it is right now. it's chaos what is happening in syria and the region >> yes, and the process will be diff. good to get your thoughts. kamal wasni, split calling

analyst. >> the plan to use an italian fort in the process of transporting and disposing chemical weapons is meeting opposition. 550 tonnes of syria's toxic chemicals will be transferred from a danish ship to an american one at a port in calabria. >> it's business as usual at the biggest port in italy. but is this the calm before the storm? this is where the first batch of chemical weapons seized from syria will be transshipped before being destroyed out at sea. >> the port here specialises in transshipments, the loading of cargo from one ship to the other. this is how they'll do it. the containers with the chemical weapons will be loaded from the danish ship on to the trailers, which will be driven on to the american cargo ships docked nearby so he can take them out

in the open sees and destroy them. >> despite reassurances by the italian government that the operation is risk free, the local mayor says nearby residents are panicking. >> people here are worried and angry. they are not told what is going on, what's inside the containers. how will they be moved. what happens if anything goes wrong. containers fell off in the past. is there a plan to protect the population in case of accidents? no, there is not. >> port workers are used to the procedure but say they are worried about handling chemical weapons. >> translation: i hope it doesn't come here. we don't know what we are dealing with. i hope whoever carries it will move it >> translation: we are supposed to move the cargo. we don't know how. >> port authorities told al

jazeera, they don't expect it for a week. >> in the meantime the port will get ready for the arrival of the most dangerous cargo in the world. >> vatican documents have revealed this almost 400 priests were defrocked for abusing children over a 2-year period. it reports a sharp increase of priests being moved by penn dilent xvi -- pope benedict xvi. >> despite his allege affair being front page new, french president francis hollande says it's business as usual. he visited his official partner since taken to hospital when the controversy started. francis hollande addresses the diplomatic core in paris. it's part of the president's annual round of new year greetings. he focuses on his foreign policy

aims. >> translation: france's first and constant principal of peace. we seek solutions through dialogue. we act always in the context of an international mandate. >> while the president talks about foreign affairs, allegations about his personnel affair continue. the gossip magga zeep that broke the new -- magazine that broke the news published more revelations. she's on several other front covers. this story interests french journalists more than the public. opinion polls suggest people have not materially changing their opinion. his pop awe -- popularity was low to begin with. >> then he can do whatever he wants. >> doesn't matter what he's doing with all the girls. he's not the first to do that. >> he's a public man. it's nonsense.

it matters to the french and to the people in france to know what goes on and how he directs his life. >> translation: for me, he's a man above all. things like that could happen in his life. now he represents france. it's normal that it's a controversy. >> francis hollande's long-firm companion has been in hospital. not married to the president, she has fulfilled the role of first lady. francis hollande will announce soon whether that is still the case. >> newspapers are under threat in venezuela because of a paper shortage. imports have been cut short because the government imposed currency controls to solve the economic crisis. newspaper editors say stopping

the printing presses is an attack on them. >> reading the newspaper is an essential ritual for hundreds of millions around the world. in venezuela, the source of information is threatened by a shortage of printing paper. >> we have provisional storage, which is now empty. what you see is here. this will last for a month. that's all. >> the editor-in-chief, like other businesses and venezuela, the newspapers blame their problems on the strict currency controls. newspaper is difficult to report. after waiting months some editors say the shortage amounts to an attack on the freedom of speech. >> now there is a chance to blackout the newspapers. why? because the only way we

can have a news agreement is by official reports. it comes to the government. >> in an attempt to stay in business the paper cut its circulation and is recycling left-over paper. >> the situation is even worse for the papers outside the capital. some have stopped printing over the last year. >> in the capital you can see signs of the shortage on the news stand. >> i'm receiving fewer copies in general. some days i don't receive the newspapers. this affects my business and people's rights to be informed. without newspapers, what will we become? >> but a member of the national assembly denied that the government was responsible. >> translation: if there are difficulties, it's because we

are victims of financial speculators, who are wage k on economic war against the government. media companies are part of it. printing papers are a priority. i can tell you no newspaper has shut down in venezuela, and no one will have to. >> many fear that unless a solution is found, and fast, the last shippment could be weeks away. >> still ahead in the program:. >> it's as if you dream the match instead of playing. when you come off you think, "oh, that's what happened", >> 37 years since a home player won the australian opener. we'll hear from a man who pulled up a big upset in melbourne.

>> time for sport. >> world number one rafael nadal is facing gael monfils for a place in the fourth round of the australian open. the spaniard is leading the opening set. he will join 17-time grand slam champion in the second week of the competition, roger federer winning in straight sets earlier. wimbledon champion andy murray is through. the 3-time finalist pushed aside his opponent for an eighth victory over a spaniard. >> 2-time defending champion victoria aza renka reached the

fourth round. maria sharapova was slow to close out her match. reaching 6-1, 7-6. >> for the home fans, there's one australian left in the unless draw, and with casey dell aqua ranked 125th in the world she's not expected to produce an upset. as andrew thomas found out the last australian to win a grand slam in melbourne, mark edmon son did that. did you thing in 1976 there wouldn't be a winner for many years? >> before or after i won? no, i didn't, 37 years, and there hasn't been another australian. there has been a few in the finals, close matches. it's phenomenal. >> you weren't the favourite. >> no, i wasn't the favourite at any time. i was the last or second-last direct acceptance in the draw,

ranked 211, 212. i beat an austrian peter figall leading me in the fifth and i won the match. when i got through that every person i played from then on was obviously the favourite. >> but edmon son overcame the odds in hot and windy conditions. he won the australian open. >> the thing about that match in "76, what do you remember of it. >> you play a few matches in your life where it's a bit as if you're dreaming the match instead of playing. when you come off you sit down and think, "oh, that's what happened." >> you weren't really a professional tennis player even were you? >> well, it depends what you call a professional. you can be a professional and not make money >> the press called you a jan iter. >> i was doing a bit of this, a bit of that, a bit of hospital cleaning, so all of a sudden i'm a jan iter >> the tour has changed. what do you think of the changes since 1976?

>> i think the game is fantastic. tennis is a world sport, and the money is there. people say look at the money. if you are the best ceo in the world, you'd make a lot of money. >> edmon son runs a tennis court servicing company. he reached two further semifinals, the australian open was his only ever grand slam singles win. >> mark edmon son remains the lowest ranked men's player to win a tennis grand slam. where does he stand alongside the underdogs. in 1967, an upset in the grand national. a 29-horse pile up allowed a horse to gallop to victory. >> and the miracle on ice where the united states ice hockey team, comprised of college and amateur players, shocked the

ussr, 4-time champions. the usa one every america's cup until 1983 when australia came from behind to win the biggest team trophy. in 1990 boxer mike tyson went undefeated in 37 fights. a swing from james buster douglas, a 42-1 outsider knocked him out. and greeted victory over portugal in the european championship. that was the first major tournament title, one of the biggest surprises in football history. there's more on the australian open. check out aljazeera.com/sports. there's details on how to get in touch with the team using twitter and facebook. >> english premier league leaders arsenal take on fulham later as they look to clin on to first place. the gunners won the last four in a row.

but one point clear at the top. they have big games against liverpool and manchester united. the arsenal boss knows his side can't afford to drop any points at this stage of the season. >> it's all a derby. it is, of course, an important game. now we go to part of a season where every game is mass if. >> if arsenal slip up second-place manchester city could overtake them. liverpool saw an action there, six points off the top, and take on aston villa. >> real madrid are looking to go second on points. it will be christiano ronaldo's first game since his award. they won the last four games without conceding a goal. >> the top two in italy are in actions. juventus adding to an 8-point

advantage. it's only if roma slip up against live australiano in the early gales. n.b.a. champions, the miami heat beat the philadelphia 76ers 101 to 86. they sit second while a favourite for the western conference inched up a win, beating the golden state warrors. kevin durant putting in a performance of the season, racking up 54 points, including a 75 second blitz in which he hit three triples. the game ended 127 to 121. >> pakistan's cricketers are making slow progress on day 3 of the third test against sri lanka. the opener fell after a half century. they are 169/2. over 160 short of sri lanka's first innings.

>> two-time olympic gold medallist colin millar took a place on the olympic team. white crashed in the qualifier, was not badly hurt. despite the crash, he landed a move he called the cap double flip 1440. on sunday he'll try to qualify for the halfpike team. >> there's one more stage. world's most gruelling and dangerous off-road races, the dakar rally is left to go. we have a new leader. stef stefan peterhan sell won stage 12 and is attempting to win a third dakar rally, 12 in total. the gap between the frenchman is 26 seconds. >> the chilean port city is preparing for the arrival of the

final stage. our correspondent is in chilli to see the remaining competitors come home. >> the finishing touch has been put in place for the arrival of the final stage of the 2014 dakar rally. it's the first time it came here, a city famous for its architecture, over looking a bustling pork. 438 cars, trucks and quads set out on january the 5th. less than half will finish the race. the 2014 dakar rally left the port city in argentina two weeks ago. nearly 10,000km later, it's arriving here on the pacific coast. the survivors will be those that traversed some of the toughest ter april in the world. the dust, mud, mountains and rivers did their best to cripple the races. one motor cyclist dead, others injured. what is the attraction?

>> it is different. we go to the best. it is different states. this is nice. every time something different. >> while there's no doubt that the dakar is popular with crowds lining the routes in the remote regions, there's concern with the environmental damage that is caused to the regions it passes through much >> translation: it should be known for beauty, nature. it needs an overhaul. a rally more or less. we don't see the benefits. we don't want the city dying of poverty. >> the dakar is tough. there's few places more relaxing to come home to. than the jewel on the pacific. >> that's all the sport for now.

more later. >> thank you very much. now, the portland art museum in the u.s. managed to put itself on the international map, paying the highest price for an auction - $142 million as allen schauffler reports the owner of the work is a mystery. >> francis bacon's bleak unsettling study of his friend is a trip-lect. pieces designed to be viewed as one. >> a three-part painting that unfolds a figure in space. it becomes a series of baffles, if you will, that show different sides. >> a portrait of two people, subject and artist, who roamed london in the decades after world war ii. >> they argue about art. they gamble together. they club, commizerate about the failed love live, and yet they

come back to the essential connections. >> a simply backdrop. a geometric cage. they hope people will see their own relationships and loved ones in the work. this is a rare opportunity for viewing since bacon painted it in 1969 it has had few public showings, and has broken up. >> it had drifted and been out of view, single panel, but not the whole thing until 1999. then it disappeared again, until appearing at auction. >> a month later it was here at the portland art museum, on display on part of an art museum. >> i put out feelers and had a phone call, and it was oblique. suddenly it was the painting, it was available for our master works program. >> it created a buzz because of

the price tag and the mystery owner. >> do you have any idea who it is. >> no clue. >> i heard someone in california >> now the mystery may be solved. wide-spread reports name elaine wynn as the owner. she's the cofounder of wynn resorts and known to be an art collector. so far there's no confirmation. wynn is not talking. >> who owns this? >> no one knows, except the curator. so who owns it? >> interesting question. >> a question with no answer from the portland art museum whose representatives say they won't confirm the opener's identity. perhaps leuchen freud knows, but he's not talking either. >> that's it from the team here

>> the bottom line is that people around the world, regardless of their nationality, should know that the united states is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten the national security. >> president obama limits spying by the n.s.a., but critics say it doesn't go nearly far enough. targeted by the sal ban a suicide bomb erts kills 21 people. in a state of emergency in california as water gets dangerously low. >> plus the panda plush. why one piece of china's political diplomacy isn't quite as black and